NASA's recent Artemis II mission has sparked a social media storm — with people spotting what appears to be Super Mario twerking on the moon. But while it might look like the character from video games has returned, he likely never left his home console.
The viral image is actually just an optical illusion known as pareidolia, where our brains impose patterns or images onto random objects or surfaces. In this case, the Mare Tranquillitatis and Mare Serenitatis on the moon are being mistaken for Mario's glutes by eagle-eyed observers. The bluer coloration representing more titanium is clearly not the result of a Nintendo PR stunt.
Ukrainian photographer Ildar Ibatullin used a Sony A7s ii telescope and a Barlow lens to take this photo, which he edited with Photoshop to highlight mineral composition. NASA itself uses false color images to interpret surface soil compositions, stacking multiple photos taken with different filters to distinguish the lunar highlands and lava flows.
The Artemis II mission has reignited interest in lunar exploration, leading more people to notice such optical illusions. However, for now, we must settle for the real moon — no matter how much we wish for a dancing Mario to light up its surface.
